Reuters reports that “Nearly a third of U.S. parents know surprisingly little about typical infant development, and this lack of understanding can rob their babies of much-needed mental stimulation, researchers said on Sunday.”

What an alarming statement! Parents are the first teachers of their children and if they do not have a good understanding of what babies need, then the babies will be on the losing side. It is true that there are no clear cut rules as to what a parent must do. Indeed, many say that there is really no way to ensure that you will be a good parent. It is something that comes with experience.

So how did the researchers come to the conclusion that a considerable number of American parents do not know enough about babies? Dr. Heather Paradis of the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York shares:

The study she conducted covered more than 10,000 parents with 9-month-old babies and asked questions such as:

-Should a 1-year-old child be able to tell between right from wrong?
-Should a 1-year-old child be ready to begin toilet-training?

The passing score is 5 out of 11. Those who got 4 and below are considered to have a lack of understanding of parenting with regard to babies.

Maybe we should all see a copy of the questionnaire and answer them ourselves.

I got an e-mail the other day from Vanessa Van Petten of Teens Today With Vanessa Van Petten. As I was reading the e-mail, I felt like a little kid – I wanted to clap my hands together and do a bit of a jump while I was at it. (Ok, fine, I did clap my hands once.) Here is what she had to say:

I just wanted to write and let you know that your blog has been submitted to my
contest for the “Best Mom Blog!”

Hooray! I actually have already been reading your blog and love it, and have been RSSing for a few months so I am happy to add you to the list.

I wanted you to be aware that (I hope) you will be getting some more traffic from my site as I post the Top 50. I am actually 22 and write a parenting blog from the kids perspective to keep things exciting as a sort of expose on our generation of teens.

Hooray, indeed! I am glad that there are teens like Vanessa and that she sees the value in good parenting and communication between parents and children! Now let’s cross our fingers and hope that we win this one. Even if we don’t, the nomination is reason enough to celebrate, don’t you think?

I have always believed that mental skills depend both on genetics and parenting. A recent article published on CBS News provides proof for the latter. It talks about a study conducted at the University of Oregon which focused on poor families. Here’s an excerpt from the news article:

They looked at measures of thinking skills in young children before and after parents had special counseling.

One of the researchers, Courtney Stevens, PhD, presented early results from the study today at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston.

Fourteen children aged 3-5 were tested on language ability and attention, and they had brain scans before their parents began the counseling. Another 14 children had the same tests, but their parents did not receive any special counseling.

The findings of the study?

Though many of us probably know the importance of good parenting with regard to our children’s mental skills, it is still assuring to hear of scientific findings such as this one. I guess we don’t need any more motivation to practice good parenting, huh? What do you think?

There is no doubt about it, Hannah Montana is one of the most popular teen stars today. I personally do not follow her much but I am sure that many children and teens do so. One of our readers pointed out an episode wherein Hannah Montana and her dad rode a Range Rover without wearing seatbelts. It may seem inane but being the role model that she is, it would have been good to see them setting a good example.

I suppose it is not her fault – after all, producers and directors were behind the scene. However, children may think that just because she was not wearing a seatbelt, they should not wear one too. Should we really care? According to Consumer Reports:

Because, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in about 55 percent of passenger vehicle fatalities in 2006 (the latest data available), the occupants were not wearing seat belts. Even worse, in the 13- to 15-year-old age group, that percentage climbs to 65 percent. Unfortunately, we’re not surprised by these grim statistics because a 2002 survey by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety showed that when parents were dropping teens off at school in the morning, nearly half the teens weren’t using seat belts.

This information is enough to justify our concern, I think. Still, Billy Ray Cyrus, who plays Hannah Montana’s dad has admitted to the oversight. No big deal, I should say.

One of my best friends and fellow mom sent a link to an article the other day with a message that read: “I’d ship Max to Iraq if she turned out like this…” referring to her angelic 1-year-old, who also happens to be my Godchild.

The article was disturbing indeed, and after reading it, I heartily agreed that if my 5-year-old N turned out that way too, she’d be joining Maxine for Iraqui bootcamp asap. Having said that though, much as this misguided teenager seems like a Veruca Salt from designer hell, one can’t help but blame her parents for creating this monster in Dior.

Anyway, it was a feature from the lifestyle pages of a newspaper about “Tara” the daughter of a socialite. Addicted to shopping and designer labels, she sounded more like Posh Spice rather than a 17 year old kid in high school. It was utterly hideous. Here’s some of the interview for your cringing pleasure:

Where and how often do you shop?

I shop like hell after a painful break-up. Does that explain a lot? (laughs) Or whenever I feel the need for a lift. No, I do not shop every single day! Its more like once a week.

What are your favorites?

My blue jean 35-cm. Hermes Kelly purchased from Hermes at The Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong. Apart from the fact that I didn’t get waitlisted for it, it holds a lot of sentimental value for me. I clearly remember finding the bag with someone special to me at the time. As for shoes, my favorite would have to be my black Manolo Blahnik pumps. They go with absolutely anything. And how could I forget my Louis Vuitton limited edition monogram cerise Speedy?! It served me really well.

What was your first designer purse?

I honestly don’t know. All I remember is being raised in Baby Dior so it could’ve been Dior or maybe Ferragamo (a favorite of my mom’s when I was younger). The first designer bag I actually remember getting was the Louis Vuitton monogram canvas pochette from my dad. I think it was a gift for my ninth or 10th birthday and I didn’t think much of it at the time (Vuittons weren’t as expensive then).

Largest amount of money you spent in one go? Did you regret it?

I haven’t any idea. I’m just sure that I didn’t regret it.

How do your parents feel about your shopping habits?

I’d imagine that they aren’t very happy about it. What sane person would be?

What bag are you currently drooling over?

I’ve always wanted an Hermes Birkin in whatever leather, 40-cm in lime green or fuchsia pink. I do plan to get one but not at the moment. You see, I havent been a very good girl lately

Do you attend sales?

Sure! Sales are great actually but then I do feel bad sometimes when high-end designer brands go on sale. The reason my mother and I love Vuitton so much is because they never have sales so you never get the painful feeling of being cheated (for lack of a better word). For example, I buy a bag today and see someone else carrying the exact same bag next week boasting about how he/she got it for a mere fraction of the original price. Ouch!

A couple of weeks ago we had a terrible scare. While on a lazy trip to the mall, my 5 year-old’s foot got caught in the escalator, very nearly severing her toes, or worse, foot. Thank goodness though, she was all right and we got away with a nasty fright, feet a little scratched but unharmed.

She was wearing her pink crocs, those rubber gardening shoes which have taken kids (and parents) footware fashion by storm.

It happened just as we were getting down to the lower floor. N suddenly screamed, and as I grabbed her, the back strap of the shoe was gobbled up mercilessly by the escalator. If the croc had been tightly fit (luckily it was loose, so it slipped off), her (gulp) foot could have been swallowed up as well.

N was shaken, and people behind us tried in vain to help, pulling the shoe out of the machine, but it was jammed, slowly getting crushed, every pink bit of it. N was so brave, seemingly more upset that her foot was now naked.

My sister, who was with us, stayed with the guards who were now filing a report, taking photos and such while N and I went in search of new shoes. My husband was furious when I told him what happened, he felt it was mall’s fault, using a faulty escalator. I agreed with him, until I found out that this incident with crocs on escalators has been happening all over the world. Read on and be wary of those shoes!!!

Dead Croc in Rustan’s:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/daphneosena/410998792/

Singapore Child Loses Toe:
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/061109/3/44ngj.html

Crocs + Escalators= Danger:
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=bizarre&id=4630653

Sibling rivalry is as normal as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. This is especially strong when kids only have a small gap in their ages. Sibling rivalry can be a manifestation of jealousy or competition among two siblings, and can happen as soon as a new child is born into the family. Usually, this progresses from fighting about toys, to getting attention from parents, and then to more serious things as children grow up, like career paths and material possessions.

Dealing with sibling rivalry can be complicated. However, you can start solving this by keeping a few simple concepts in mind.

Sibling rivalry is usually caused by the feeling that parents have unequal preferences or give unequal attention to children. A toddler might be jealous of the time you spent caring for an infant, for example. Or a grade-schooler can be jealous of the freedoms you give his older brother or sister in high school.

The most basic way to minimize rivalry is by not comparing children, ever, and by giving them equal attention. You should also not take sides, as this will make them feel you have favorites. It’s also a good idea to let children cooperate instead of compete. This reinforces the idea that they should not fight for attention, but help each other do good things.

Maybe you have teen-aged kids and they’ve started blogging. Or perhaps they’re fond of social networking sites. Be sure to watch what your kids are doing, because they are potentially endangering themselves, and even your family, if they give out too much information to the public.

Sites like MySpace, Friendster, and Multiply are social networking sites that are very popular among teens and young adults (even with grade-schoolers, too, actually). These are great in that they let people connect to their friends online, set up online profiles/identities, and network with other people.

Blogs, meanwhile, are popular among teens and young adults as online diaries or journals. They are just like paper-based diaries, but they’re usually published and available for viewing by the public. Blogs make it easy to write and publish content online, since these don’t require much technical knowledge.

Some blogging services have social networking functions, and sometimes it’s the other way around. Blogs and social networking sites, therefore, can be great at keeping track of what your friends are up to.

However, there are dangers to this (we shall discuss this next).

In line with setting routines, I’d say another important part of the day is nap time. This is especially so if your kids are still toddler to preschool age. For one, they need all the sleep they can get so they can grow up big, strong and healthy.

Also, sometimes nap time is essential for us parents to keep our sanity intact!

For adults, nap time can also be called “power napping,” which is especially popular in the office setting. Getting a few minutes of rest (from 15 to 30 minutes) helps keep us alert. Or at the very least, this can help us catch up on some sleep if we don’t get enough at nights. Research tells us that 15 minutes is the optimal time for power-napping because this is the time when our brain waves reach those patterns wherein we feel most alert after waking. Too little time and we don’t get enough rest. Too much, and we would only feel sleepy and less alert.

For kids, meanwhile, they need as much sleep as they can get. The brain’s pituitary function–which tells the body to grow–only works when we’re asleep. So sleep is important, especially in those growing years.

Another very compelling reason to take naps, aside from the growth factor, is that children usually get very cranky when they’re sleepy. And cranky kids can be such a headache for parents! Believe me, I’ve had those times when both my kids missed their afternoon naps and they end up very cranky in the early evening. This can potentially spell trouble, especially if you’re looking forward to a good dinner or catching up with quality time in the evenings.

What is it about germs that make them spread like wildfire, especially with kids? While we were at hospital Dr.J warned me to try and refrain from getting too close to O, and not kissing him or sharing drinks, food and so on. Was she insane? Did she think I would stay at an arm’s length of my son who was in hospital for the first time? Bring on the outbreak and let me kiss my baby.

By the next morning, O had started to recover fast. After finishing his bowl of clear soup, he moved on to some white bread (I made the exception because of the circumstances), and by lunchtime, he was up and about, roaming the pediatric ward while I held his I.V. drip.

Big sis came to visit with Grandma, and despite more stay-away warnings from Dr.J, she promptly jumped into the hospital bed with her little brother (to his delight!) snuggeling to watch the Playhouse Disney channel, which we don’t get at home. Being the affectionate (well, sometime) bis sister that she is, I think she felt sorry for her little brother (with a needle and tube stuck on his hand, no less) and wouldn’t stop hugging and kissing him. When it was time for Grandma to take her to lunch at the mall she refused to leave and eventually was persuaded to go downstairs to the hospital cafeteria.

By the following day, you can guess what happened. O was nearly back to his old cheery self, my daughter was vomiting and I had diarrhea.

[tags]outbreak, hospital, virus[/tags]